FINISHING SHOTS By Tom Gray
NOT SO SWEET On May 28, 1942, at
Madison Square Garden, top-flight contender Sugar Ray Robinson scored an unpopular 10-round split decision victory over welterweight prospect Marty Servo. The referee voted for Servo (5-3-2) but was overruled by the two judges (1-9 and 2-8), much to the chagrin of many of the 15,000 fans in attendance. Eight months earlier, Robinson had broken Servo’s 44-fight unbeaten record by unanimous decision in Philadelphia with a much more polished display. Following the rematch, Servo spent three years in the military during World War II and may have lost his best years. Remarkably, he returned to boxing and claimed the welterweight championship at the expense of Freddie Cochrane in February 1946. After Servo relinquished the crown due to a serious nose injury, Robinson picked up the vacant title by outpointing Tommy Bell. The rest is history.
94 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
RINGMAGAZINE.COM 95
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker